Resource Center Articles

Foot Arch Pain
Insoles for Arch Pain Relief
Your arch is made up of tarsal and metatarsal bones that help you absorb stress, stabilize during excessive activity and adapt to sloping surfaces. Important tendons, muscles and ligaments connect to your foot arch and support your arch during everyday movement and exercise. If weakened or injured, these tendons and bones may cause you to feel pain and discomfort. Arch pain often affects other areas of the foot, as well as the ankles, shins, knees and lower back. Sometimes arch pain is an indicator or an underlying foot ailment, such as plantar fasciitis or overpronation (flat...

If you’ve had chronic or consistent foot pain that just won’t quit, you’ve probably asked yourself what type of insole you should try. When it comes down to custom insoles or over-the-counter orthotic insoles, there’s wide debate over which one provides more relief. ...

Metatarsalgia is no joke. Thankfully, foot pain is rarely the sort of problem that is beyond the realm of modern medicine or even self-help. With a little know how and a fundamental understanding of how our ankles and feet support the rest of our body you can avoid wearing yourself down to the cruel pain that comes with over-exertion and improper footwear. If you already suspect you suffer from this specific sort of foot pain, relief might be just around the corner....

Did you know your Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in your body? It is, and for really good reason. Your Achilles tendon has a significant job —it helps you walk, jump, run, and move around throughout the day. But this tendon does have a major weakness; its own kryptonite, if you will. This tendon is subject to tendonitis that can leave you completely immobilized.Learn everything you need to know about Achilles tendonitis and how to treat it. ...

A bunion forms when your big toe pushes against the next toe, forcing the big toe’s joint to get bigger and stick out. The result is a bony bump formed on the joint at the base, which can be painful and cause red and sore skin over the bunion. They are most commonly found on the inside of your foot at the base of the big toe, but can also occur on the outside of the foot at the base of the little toe. These are referred to as a bunionette or tailor’s bunion.
It's been suggested that wearing tight-fitting,narrow or high-heeled shoes might increase the risk of bunions, so it’s no surprise that the condition most commonly affects women....

Heel spurs and the resulting heel spur pain can make even the simplest of activities painful. A heel spur is a calcium deposit on the bottom of the heel bone that causes a protrusion. It can commonly be confused with plantar fasciitis, often because heel spurs occur in at least half of people who have plantar fasciitis. Heel spurs are often found in athletes or those who spend a lot of time on their feet, but they can happen to anyone.
In the past, doctors often recommended surgery to remove the calcium deposit in hopes that it would alleviate plantar fasciitis and heel spur pain. Today, while surgery is still an option after all other op...

The heel bone, or calcaneus, is the largest bone in your foot. And as the largest bone in your foot, your heel’s main responsibility is to support your entire body weight. With great power comes great responsibility, right? As you walk, run, and spend hours on your feet, your heel has to support your foot and absorb the impact when your foot hits the ground. This causes a lot of pressure and stress, especially during intense...

Did you know 75 percent of Americans will experience foot health problems at some point in their lives?1 Severity ranges from minor aches and pains caused by overuse to extreme conditions that ruin your quality of life and require surgery to fix. Luckily, foot health has come a long way over the years with greater awareness and education around the care of your feet, the development of products like foot orthotics to relieve pain and discom...

Heel Spurs: How to Prevent Heel Spur Pain Before It Starts
The last thing you want to feel when you get up in the morning is shooting pains in your heels. If you’re an avid runner or someone who is on their feet all day long, you’ve probably experienced some level of heel pain. Heel spurs, also known as calcaneal spurs, are shelf-shaped calcium build-ups on the heel bone that irritate the fatty tissues on the heel and cause pain. Heel spurs oftentimes a...

We’ve all had those moments where a stone mysteriously lodges itself in our shoes and we feel it as we walk or run. The discomfort and irritation slowly becomes painful enough that we stop what we’re doing, and take off our shoes to remove the stone. This is what Morton’s neuroma feels like, except you can’t just remove your shoe and take out a stone. Morton’s neuroma is a condition where one of the plantar digital ne...

The next time you’re barefoot, take a look at your toes and make a note of what you see. For people who don’t suffer from hammer toe, their toes point forward and don’t come across as anything out of the ordinary. However, for those who do have hammer toe, the toes are bent or curled downward. This is caused by wearing tight, high heeled shoes, arthritis, toe injuries, and pressure from bunions.
But unlike some foot conditions, hammer toe correction is easy if caught early and treated the right way. If ignored and left untreated, hammer toe can become more serious and require surgery to fix. To prevent a more seve...

We’ve all heard the term “flat feet”. But what does being flat footed actually mean? Contrary to flat footed jokes you may have heard from your friends in school, having flat feet from fallen arches can cause weakness and pain throughout your body. This article will examine what fallen arches are, the causes of fallen arches, and solutions available to help with flat feet.
The Anatomy of Your Foot
Your foot is truly a powerhouse all on its own, containing one quarter of the bones in your entire body and made up of three main parts: The forefoot contains five toes and their c...

Take a look at your feet and what do you see? Does your foot have a dip in the center, or is the bottom of your foot completely flat? Most people can run a finger along the bottom of their foot and outline their arch. However, people with flat feet are not able to do this because they have fallen arches or don’t have any arch at all. This can lead to foot pain caused by strained muscles and ligaments, as well as pain in the hips and knees. Here ...

Being a kid can be tough. At home you’ve got parents telling you what to do and when to do it, and it seems like you never get a solid reason why. And at school, there are teacher expectations and peer judgments, and it can all get to be a bit much to handle. Add in any sort of medical condition that labels you “different” and you have a whole host of new problems...

If you suffer from plantar fasciitis, you know that often the most painful time of day is stepping out of bed in the morning. Your plantar fascia tissue has contracted during the night, as many people sleep with their toes pointed and sometimes even curled, tightening the ligament overnight.
There are a lot of options out there to help with PF pain, and one of those includes special socks for plantar fasciitis sufferers. A night sock is worn during sleep to help keep the plantar fascia stretched. Many podiatrists prescribe a&nb...

Plantar fasciitis is a condition that affects countless Americans. Its causes aren’t fully known, but it can significantly impact quality of life for sufferers. Whether you’re an active runner experiencing heel pain or you stand or walk for extended periods of time for your job, we’ve got some strategies you can use for plantar fasciitis relief.
Habits, Lifestyle Changes and Products
There are a number of personal habits and lifestyle choices you can alter in order to help reduce your plantar fasciitis suffering. Any of these suggestions that you’re able to accomplish without expending too much eff...

According to a report by The New York Times, approximately 75% of US citizens have experienced foot pain at one time or another.* So if you’re suffering from this, know that you’re certainly not alone. There are many causes of foot pain, from plantar fasciitis to bunions to hammertoes and more. Always see a doctor if experiencing severe foot pain. Just looking for mild to moderate foot pain relief? There are options. Here are some natural foot pain remedies when trying to avoid medication.
Strengthen and relax your feet with exercises. Stronger foot muscles can help prevent pain, and certain motions...

A significant proportion of the population has flat feet, and for most, the condition does not affect daily life. However, for some, it can result in pain in the feet, legs and back. For these people, getting the proper arch supports for flat feet is essential to living life to the fullest.
What Causes Flat Feet?
The condition is a common one, often beginning in childhood, when the tendons that eventually form arches in most feet do not do so. But even people with normal arches can develop flat feet as they age, with risk factors including injury, obesity, diabetes, arthritis and even pregnancy. If someone has flat feet b...

For those who suffer from pain in the feet, legs or back that is related to fallen arches (flat feet), there is a way to feel better. While there’s no actual cure or reversal for fallen arches, shoe insoles for flat feet can provide pain relief.
Although the majority of individuals with flat feet do not experience problems, some do develop painful conditions as a result of fallen arches. Some of these medical issues can include:
- Plantar fasciitis
- Bunions - Shin splints- Tendinitis...